Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Urban Health Plan (UHP), a network of community health centers located in the South Bronx, Central Harlem, and Northwestern Queens. Born and raised in The Bronx, Ms. Izquierdo-Hernandez is a champion for accessible, quality healthcare.

Through her leadership and vision, Ms. Izquierdo-Hernandez has built Urban Health Plan from a one-site local community health center into an award-winning, first-class health care organization as well as one of the largest community health centers in New York State. She also shepherded the expansion of Urban Health Plan to become a network of federally qualified community health centers that includes twelve sites in the Bronx, Central Harlem, and Queens; twelve school-based health programs; two mental health facilities; two part-time facilities for at-risk populations; women, infants and children (WIC) programs throughout the network; and multiple grant-funded programs. Today, Urban Health Plan serves a volume of close to 400,000 patient visits annually.

Ms. Izquierdo-Hernandez has been recognized nationally for the continuous quality improvement work she spearheads at UHP.Ms. Izquierdo-Hernandez sits on numerous health boards, including the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Charter School for Health and Sciences — named for her father, who was also a medical professional. Further, she is well respected by her staff for the contagious passion that she has for her organization and its nearly one thousand employees, including 150 providers, most of whom she knows by name. She sets the example that at UHP, people come first. She is a role model for her employees and a true example of consistent and outstanding leadership.